These are Japanese Dekotora trucks. "Dekotora" means "decorated." They are also known as art trucks. This subculture has been around for over 50 years. Dekotora became popular by the Torakku Yarô ...

Japanese auctions aren't just populated with kei cars and boring commercial vehicles. For example, this 1993 Mitsubishi Canter Dekotora-style is a rig that can haul cars in extreme style. I'm only ...

When did Japan’s love affair with car customization begin? We don’t have a clue, but before we saw street drifters in the ’90s, Shakotan cars in the ’80s, and Bosozoku tribes in the ’70s, there was a ...

In Translogic 9.4 we continue our tour of Japan and its unique and often creative take on transportation. This time we get an up close look at Dekotora or Japanese art trucks and discover that they’re ...

As in the United States, in Japan there’s a long history of owner-operators taking pride in their ride, known by the “dekotora” terminology — essentially, the word means “decoration truck” in the ...

UTSUNOMIYA—Underground in a former stone quarry, brightly lit and colorfully decorated trucks known as “Dekotora” (Art Truck) are lighting up the darkness in the Oya History Museum here. Seven trucks ...

Dekotora grew popular after the 1975 film Torakku Yarō, in which two drivers enjoy wild escapades in a flamboyantly decorated truck. Much like the colorful trucks of India, these trucks deliver ...

Nice write-up, thanks. I'd never really read/heard much about this particular culture before. There are so many subcultures and avenues for fetishisation in Japanese culture that are really ...

Jaleco’s Dekotora game is probably inaccessible for gamers outside of Japan because of region locking. If you’re curious about racing neon colored big rigs Spike’s game is another option. In March ...

I heard about Mach 7 from Ben Hsu, editor-in-chief at Japanese Nostalgic Car, so I made a point of puzzling out the various modes of public transit to take the hourlong trip from Tokyo proper to the ...

The years of my life can now be split into BB and AB sections: Before Beyoncé and After Beyoncé. Earlier this week I went to night four of her Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour at SoFi ...